1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to umbrellas, and more particularly, to a hub assembly for an umbrella frame. The hub assembly of the present invention offers improvements primarily, but not exclusively, in durability and the withstanding of abusive weather conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Large, standing outdoor umbrellas are commonly utilized at restaurants, bars, hotels, and other places that offer outdoor seating so as to shield people from the sun, as well as from other elements of nature, such as wind, light rain, etc. As such, these types of outdoor umbrellas typically have been designed to endure some of these elements. Nevertheless, damage to the framework of an umbrella can and does occur for many reasons. For example, umbrellas can be damaged by severe and unexpected weather and strong winds can cause a standing outdoor umbrella to fall over, which can cause component parts of the umbrella frame to become cracked or bent. Others suffer damage as a result of improper handling, such as when a worker moves them from one location to another quickly or recklessly and/or as a result of improper installation. Many of the umbrellas known in the art suffer the disadvantages of not being able to withstand strong winds or other harsh weather, as well as not being capable of simple repair when damage does occur.
For example, many standing outdoor umbrellas utilize a wood material, which quite often is highly polished, for the hub assembly, ribs, struts, and other frame components due to the pleasing esthetic effect which it offers. However, these assemblies often require that screws or other connectors be driven into the wood material, which compromises the material's strength and integrity. In particular, when these types of umbrellas fall over, a common result is that the wood splits at the site or sites where a screw has been screwed into the wood. Unfortunately, once an umbrella is damaged in this way, it is often more expensive and difficult to repair the frame component(s) of the umbrella than it is to replace them or in some cases, the umbrella itself. This is especially true when the wood hub assembly of the umbrella frame has been split or otherwise damaged.